I’ll be honest- when we signed Balotelli from Milan for £16 million in the summer, I was really excited. At the time, I thought he’d be an excellent signing. Balotelli has shown glimpses of what he can do, and when on form he can be exceptional- see his two goals against Germany at Euro 2012. The talent is there, but he always needed a patient manager who could tame his exuberant personality and sometimes infuriating attitude. I thought Rodgers would be the perfect man to help Mario unlock his considerable potential, but it seems to have turned out quite the opposite.
5 months into his Liverpool career, Balotelli has found the net just twice- not once in the Premier League. Even more disappointing than his goal return is the fact that he now finds himself right down at the bottom of the pecking order for strikers. Borini and Lambert are both favored ahead of him, despite their own struggles, whilst Sterling, a 20 year old winger, has also been preferred as a central striking option and has performed the role so admirably. With Sturridge on his way back this week, (bar the dreaded occurrence of yet another setback in training), Balotelli will face an even tougher challenge to get back into the side and salvage his Liverpool career.
Following the disappointing 0-0 draw vs Bolton at Anfield yesterday for which Balotelli wasn’t even selected in the squad, Rodgers publicly announced that the Italian simply is not good enough to get in the side right now, as his ability to press, and his application in training are not good enough. Whether this really is the case is unclear, but it certainly is not the first time that Rodgers has criticised Balotelli in public.
Rodgers on Balotelli: “If you can’t press, you can’t be a part of the team. It doesn’t matter who the player is.”
When a striker is struggling for form, the last thing his already low confidence needs is another blow from his manager, exposing him to the media. Rodgers doesn’t do this for any other player, but he has made it quite clear since signing Balotelli that he isn’t really wanted- he was signed as a last resort because no other striker was available. It seems to me that Rodgers uses Balotelli as a scapegoat. Dejan Lovren has been equally disappointing since his £20 million arrival in the summer, yet Rodgers has barely spoken a bad word about him. In fact, Rodgers has reiterated that Lovren will come good, but has not shown any of the same confidence in Balotelli.
I don’t know how Balotelli performs in training, but from what I’ve seen of him on the pitch, effort is not actually the problem.
Source: LiverpoolFC.com
Whenever he has played, he does put in a shift for the team- the Merseyside derby draw at Anfield was a prime example of this, chasing everything down until the last minute. Yes, his finishing has been poor, but the system in which he has been played as an isolated lone striker has not helped him and he has not had an abundance of chances. In this current 3-4-3 system, I feel he’d have a lot more opportunities to score, but he hasn’t yet been given a chance. When we beat Spurs 3-0 at White Hart Lane back in August, it was the only game in which Sturridge and Balotelli played together as a strike partnership, and the early signs were hugely promising until Sturridge’s 5 month long injury absence deprived us of seeing this partnership develop over the course of the season.
If a lack of pressing in Balotelli’s game is the issue, surely it is Rodgers’ responsibility as a coach to work with Balotelli on how to improve this aspect of his game. Balotelli has shown he is prepared to put the effort in, but pressing is a skill which must be practiced. He hasn’t played in a side where pressing is key to the philosophy before, so it is something new which he has to learn. The effort is there, but Rodgers must surely focus on training Balotelli to press intelligently, cutting of the angle of pass for the opposition. If he can do this, it will fix the issue. Besides, it’s not something unique to Balotelli, as Lambert hardly presses either, which doesn’t seem to draw Rodgers’ attention.
Personally, I would love to see Balotelli get another chance in the side alongside Sturridge in this new system, as I think he could thrive there. Unfortunately, I don’t think this will be the case and he will most likely leave in the summer if a late offer doesn’t arrive this January. This is a shame, as I think Balotelli has more ability than he has shown so far. Although his own performances have not helped his cause, I think Rodgers’ treatment of Balotelli has also contributed to his struggles. Who knows if Balotelli can revive his fortunes at Liverpool, but I can only feel a sense of disappointment as a seemingly bright talent has not been able to live up to his potential.
Red Regista
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Balotelli has talent. BUT he simply ain`t good enough for either Liverpools style or the pace and aggression in Premier League. In short he isn`t the Liverpool type. Yeah Yeah yeah I know it`s antidiluvian to refer to the “Liverpool Type Player “”these days but any true fan knows exactly what I mean. NO individual is bigger than the team. You pull on the Red shirt and your heart skips a beat. Balotelli never gonna be that type. He is a mercenary short and simple. He`s a big time charlie and immature to boot hence all his transgressions on the field. How to solve a problem like Balotelli? Simples… get shut of him asap!